George Washington University Associate Dean Elizabeth Chacko has been named associate provost for special programs and the Mount Vernon academic experience, the university announced Wednesday.
In the newly created role, effective July 1, Dr. Chacko will oversee the honors and women’s leadership programs as well as other courses and undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral research activities on the campus supported by the Office of the Provost.
She also will oversee the campus’s living and learning communities—academic experiences for students who want to collaborate with peers and faculty on an interdisciplinary theme. Two new living and learning communities focus on sustainability and global connections.
“We want to fully realize the potential of the Mount Vernon Campus, which combines a small, liberal arts college feel with the resources and opportunities of a large, urban research university,” said Terry Murphy, deputy provost for academic affairs. “Elizabeth will bring great energy and focus to the Mount Vernon campus’s innovative academic offerings and create a truly unique learning environment for our students.”
Dr. Chacko has spent 20 years at GW, as a professor, chair of the Department of Geography, director of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) Dean’s Scholars in Globalization program and in her current leadership role in CCAS.
“I have always enjoyed working with undergraduates,” Dr. Chacko said, noting her roles as an adviser, professor and in leadership. “In this new role, I am especially interested in working across disciplines and schools, academic programs and the residential life experience to make the Mount Vernon Campus an even more energetic place, and an intellectual hub, for students, faculty and staff.”
One of her earliest priorities will be working with the Mount Vernon Society of Fellows, a new program that will bring several post-doctoral students, in two-year terms, to the campus to teach seminars and plan creative and intellectual activities for living and learning communities, Dr. Chacko said. The university plans to continue to grow the fellowship program over the next few years.
Dr. Chacko will step down from her current role in June. CCAS will launch a search for her replacement later this spring.
